Signal device for automobiles



JAY.

DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES.

SIGNAL 1,330,076. Patented Feb. 10,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEEI l.

" mmmwmmmu W. JAY.

SIGNAL DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES.

' APPUCATION FILED N0v.12. 1915- 1,330,076. Patented Feb. 10,1920.

1 I 2 SHEETS$HEEI 2- %Z head? 52/671,101

UNITED T0 (ZZZ whom it may 60mm: 1

Be it known that I, WEBB JAY, a citizen of the United Stat e s, residing atChicago, in the county of Cook andFState ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signal Devices for Automobiles, of which the following is a specification. 1 V

This invention relates to signal devices for automobiles, and in particular to an automatic signal device adapted for use'in warning persons adjacentvan automobile of'the intention of the driver thereof. 7 It is now common practice. for drivers 0 vehiclesto give warning of a change of speed or approaching change of direction to other persons following or 'approaching, by hold-- ing out one hand as a signal. This method of signaling is indefinite, not universally understood, and capable of being unnoticed or misconstrued.

Thelprincipal object of provide means for conveying to other persons or drivers, information regarding the intention of the driver of a vehicle as to a I change of speed, or course, of that vehicle. further QbJBCl? is ftoprovide a signal device foruse with automobiles, and the like, to indicate automatically a change. of speed, or

course, of the automobile. Still another object is to provide, in combinationv with the speed control mechanism of a vehicle,'a signal adapted to be actuated automatically by the'operation of said mechanism to indicate a change'of speed of the vehicle to persons following .or adjacent to the vehicle. An-

' other feature is the provision of such a signaling device arranged to be actuated bythe V bile will appear more clearly from the following These-and other objects the invention specification taken in connection with the 7 1 embodiments trated.

accompanying drawings, in which certain ln-thedrawingsi Q V i Figure 1 is a side elevatlon of an autoinobile with a portion thereof broken-away,

showing the general arrangement and con- 7 nections-of my s gnaling device,

Fi .2 is a rear elevation of an automobile showing thelsignal proper mountefd; thereon an view 0 the struc-' 3' shows atop p ture illustrated of the invention are; illiis- V Specifica tibnofhe ttrs-Patent. V I Patente F b", 0, 9

V Fig; 2; r

Fig; 4 is an'enlarged rear elevation of the signal proper showing the movable elements thereof by dotted lines. In the drawings, the automobile designated generally by the numeral 10 is shown as comprising abody. 11', wheels 12, side frame 13, rear aXle 14,, springs 15, brake housings l6, and fenders 17. These elements forni no part of my present invention and are illustrated merely for the purpose of showing theapplication thereto of my invention. r

.Theusual brake lever 20' adapted to be operated by the foot of the driver to control the ordinary brakes of the automobile, is mounted inbearings2land connected from an intermediate point by means of the link 22 to the .usual brake mechanism; The

r a r r emergency brakerlever 23 is pivoted at 24 my invention is to the right-hand part of n'ectedthereto through the link 30. It is of course understood thatthe clutch pedal or lever. maybe connected by yielding, means *to thesocket member 56 in the samemanner that levers 20' and 23 are connected.

1 The efiectof the operation of either of the levers 2001' 23 is tochange the speed of the'automobile and it is the purpose of my invention to provide means forfurnishing an indication of this change of speed to persons following the vehicle to whichmy invention is applied. Forthis purpose I have provided means in'combination with the tail lamp; of the automobile, for instance, arranged to beactuated automatically by the operation ofthe brake levers'sor other speed controlling mechanism to providefthe proper indication of the change of speed. The tail lamp bracket 31 is provided with a'rectangular slot 32jwhich is, adapted to 'receivethe vehicle spring 15, or other suitable supportingmember of the automobile.-

7 portion I spring, and mounted inwardly from the One wall of notch provided with a hook 33 which is adapted to coact with a of the-under-side of the vehicle other wall 34 of the notch 32 is a movable. plate 35 having a hooked extremity-35? adapted to engage a portion of the under-v side of the spring opposite the hook'33. The

plate 35 is slidab-ly. mounted and is rotatably engaged by a stud 36 which may be ad justed to clamp the vehicle spring securely between theplate 35 and the opposite wall of the slot32. When the bracket 31 has thus 1 been clamped in position it may be secured against movement therefrom by means of a horizontal portion 31 having the flat upper surface upon which the lamp is adapted light of to be seated. This lamp is secured in position on the bracket by means of a stud or bolt 41 which engagesthe bracket and the base of the lamp. The lamp 40 is. provided with a rearwardly facing aperture 42 over which a glassor screen of suitable color, usually red, is placed and through which th the vehicle; The -lamp 40 is adapted to give a substantially constant indication during the normal operation of the vehicle, but

when the speedof the vehicle changes the indication of this lamp'willbe altered by the means whichI have provided for, that purpose. The bracket 31 has formed'integrally therewith two parallelvertically ex- I tending ears 43 between which a signal arm target or plate 45 is pivotally mounted by means of a pin 44. This arm or plate 45 is provided with an aperture 46 over which is placed a screen 47 of translucent material of I suitable color, such for instance,ias yellow, having printed thereon the, word Stop -or other suitable symbol adapted to warn persons'following the vehicle that-the speed thereof is about to be decreased preparatory or changing the course of the the vehicle the arm 45 will assume the downwardly inclined posi ion, as shown'in Fig. 2,

' in which position the translucent screen 47 lines in Fig. 4,

will not be illuminated, so that the signal will give no indication, except the normal lamp 40 serving as indication given by the a tail light of the vehicle. However, when 45 is lifted about I its pivotal so as to assume the substantially nated by the light projected through the aperture 42 of the lamp, thereby indlcating that some change in tion of the" vehicle is about to occur and 'cles to proceed the then normal operathus serving as notice to the following vehithat the speed orv course of vthe vehicle is being,

or about tolbe, changed.

The signal arm orplate 45 is actuatedlby be described. The

the ;mechanism new to with caution-giving a signal plate .45 has extending upwardly therefrom a projection '48, which is pivotally connected at 49 with'themember-50. Extending upwardly from the bracket 31 is a plate 51 having a "forwardly directed'flange 52. A pulley 53 is rotatably mounted on the pin 54 between the flange 52'and the bodyof the bracket. A flexible cable'55 is secured to the member 50, extends around the'pulley 53,

- and thence forwardly at the side, ofthe body of the vehicle, being secured. at its forward end to the socket member 56, which is carried by'an arm 57 pivotally mounted'on the side frame 13. A link 58 is connected to the socket member 56 at one end, and at, the

other end to coil spring 59. The opposite end of the coil spring 59 is pivotally connected at 60.t0 the brake lever 20 at a point above the bearing 21 of said lever. sec- 0nd link 61 is connected to the socket member 56 at one end, and at the otherend to a second coil spring 62, which-last-named the lamp is transmitted as a signal visible to persons following at the rear of J coil spring is connected at the end thereof opposite the link 61 to the emergency brake lever 23 below the pivotal point 24.

It will be apparentthat when ;the brake lever 20 is moved forwardly 'to' setthe brakes of the automobile the socket member 56 will be moved forwardly through the connecting link 58 andspring 59,and this motion will be transmitted, through the cable 55 to the member 50, which'will be operated to rotate the signal plate or arm 45upwardly about its pivotal axis 44, so asto bring the translucent screen 47 of said platein position opposite the lamp 40, as shown in Fig. 4. After the plate or arnr 45 has beenmoved upwardly-to the position shown inFig. 4 the member 50 will coact with the plate 51 of the bracket, thus limiting the upward 'movement of the signal plate, and any'con-' tinuedforward-movement of the'brake lever 20- thereafter to set the brakes-will be permitted by the extension of the spring 59. It will be understood that the spring 59 is preferably. of sufficient strength'so that the first movement ofthe brake lever will actuate the signal arm 45 to indicate that the speed of the vehicle is about to be changed,- but the spring shouldnot be so strong as to prevent the continued actuation of. the brake lever to set the brakes without undue effort on the part of the driver. If desired, the parts may be proportioned to 'causethe signal to be actuated at some other point injthe operation ofthe speed control-mechamsm.

Similarly, when the emergency brake ber 56 without any movement of the lever 20. On the other hand, when the emergency brake lever 23 has been locked imposition, by causing the pawl carried thereby to engage a notch in the quadrant 26, the foot lever 20 may be actuated to set the signal and operate the brakes, the spring 62 permitting the necessary movement of the socket member 56 without a corresponding movement of the lever 23. It will thus be apparent that either of the speed control levers may be actuated independently of the other, and whichever lever is actuated the signal device will be automatically operated to give the required signal to persons fol.- lowing the'vehicle, without the necessity of any attention thereto on the part of the driver. 'When the speed control levers are returned to inoperative positions, the plate 45 will fall by gravity to the inoperative position shown in Fig. 2. The mechanism connected to the member limits the clownward movement of the plate 45, or the bracket 31 may be provided with a suitable lug' for thatzpurpose.

It will be apparent that a signal is automatically given when any speed control device is operated to warn persons at the rear of the vehicle that the speed thereof is being changed, preparatory to topping or changing the course of the vehicle' For instance, when the vehicle approaches a street crossing, the actuation of the signal will indicate that the vehicle is slowing up to permit traffic to pass on the cross street, or for the purpose of turning the corner intothe cross street. This form of signaling device has the advantage that it is automatic in its op-' Y my name.

eration, not requiring the conscious attention of the driver, and that 1t J glves a uniform indication which is capable of being,

understood by anyone.

Although I have shown and described certain forms of my invention forpurposes of illustration, it will be understood that it may be embodiedin other forms withoutde-' parting from the scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. In a device of the class described, in

combination, a. lamp, a bracket adapted'to V adjustably secure said lamp to a vehicle, an arm pivoted on said bracket and adapted to. be vertically oscillated i-n front'of said lamp, the arm when in non-signaling position adapted to rest below said lamp and 'for signaling to be raised against-gravital action, a stop on said bracket adapted to be engaged by said arm when in full signaling position to prevent further movement thereof, and means associated with the CO11- trol members of the vehicle whereby on movement of any one of said members said arm is oscillated to signaling position, said actuating means including asmgle flexible non-elastic member connected at one end to sand arm, and resilient members connecting the other end of said non-elastic member with everyone of said control elements.

2. In a device of the class described, in combination, a lamp, a bracket for supportingsaid lamp on a vehicle, and an arm adapted to oscillate in a vertical plane in front of said lamp to indicate different signals, said arm adapted when innon-signaling position to lie below said lamp, and

means for oscillating said arm in front of said lamp against gravital action, said means including'a flexible non-elastic meme ber and a flexible elastic member, and" a stop adapted to be engaged by said arm when 111 signaling position to ther movement thereof.

In testimony whereof I have subscribed WEBB JAY.

prevent -fur- 

